ESL Activities

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in Icebreakers + Warm-Ups· Speaking

Categories List: People, Science, Home, School, Animals & More

If you’re looking for a list of categories, you’re in the right place. Have a look at this categories list!

list of categories

list of categories

Have a look at these word category games & activities.

Category List: People

  • famous people
  • comic book heroes
  • ways to describe someone’s personality
  • family members
  • sports teams (football, basketball, etc.)
  • sports (see our list of sports here)
  • jobs
  • nationalities
  • singers/bands
  • authors
  • first names
  • clothes
  • things with pockets
  • diseases
  • generations (Gen X, etc.)
  • emotions
  • body parts
  • things with buttons
  • toys
  • ways to exercise
  • presidents
  • internal organs
  • terms of endearment
  • holidays

School Life

  • school subjects
  • school supplies
  • things you learn
  • teachers
  • annoying things
  • book
  • colors
  • letters
  • college majors
  • math vocab

List of Categories: In the World

  • tourist attractions
  • countries
  • famous cities
  • buildings
  • currencies
  • languages
  • states/provinces
  • weather
  • days of the week
  • planets
  • things you can see in the sky
  • ancient civilizations
  • types of government
  • religions

Categories of Things: Eating and Drinking

  • drinks
  • food
  • fruit
  • dairy products
  • vegetables
  • fast food restaurants
  • healthy/unhealthy things
  • things you eat in a restaurant
  • kinds of meat
  • foods that kids eat
  • desserts
  • condiments
  • breakfast foods
  • lunch foods
  • ways to cook eggs
  • ways to cook potatoes

List of Categories: Animals

  • mammals
  • birds
  • reptiles
  • amphibians
  • zoo animals
  • farm animals
  • wild animals
  • animals with legs
  • ocean animals
  • big/small animals
  • bugs/insects
  • monsters
  • fictional creatures
  • famous animals
  • pets
  • animal sounds

Categories List: Going Places

  • public transportation
  • cars
  • busiest airports
  • famous cities to visit
  • famous countries to visit
  • things to do on the weekend
categories list

Categories list

Entertainment

  • music genres
  • famous songs
  • movies
  • academy awards
  • TV shows
  • actors/actresses

List of Categories: Kinds of Words

  • Words with double vowels
  • Words with more than 5 (6, 7, etc.) letters
  • Words with exactly 5 (6,7, etc.) letters
  • Words with a certain number of syllables
  • Words that begin and end with the same letter
  • Words that are the same forwards and backward
  • abbreviations
  • punctuation
  • verb tenses
  • rhyming words

House Things

  • furniture
  • rooms in a house
  • things to put on a wall
  • kitchen appliances
  • what you can find under the bed
  • kitchen utensils

Science Stuff

  • liquids
  • gasses
  • states of matter
  • periodic table elements
  • things used in science experiments
  • things that can change states
  • tools
  • habitats
  • things that float
  • things that sink
  • constellations
  • gems
  • minerals
  • dinosaurs
  • things that measure
  • plants
  • seasons

Categories List: Things

  • Things to eat.
  • Things to drink.
  • Things to do after work.
  • Things in an office.
  • Things in a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc.
  • Things made of plastic, wood, metal, etc.
  • Things that are red, black, yellow, green, etc.
  • Things that run on electricity.
  • Things you can do in your free time.
  • Things that are square, round, rectangle, etc.
  • Things that are hot, cold, wet, dry, etc.
  • Things that grow quickly, move, stay in one place, etc.
  • Things with wheels, legs, etc.
  • Things that you would take with you to a deserted island.
  • Things that you take on vacation.
  • Things you can read, watch, listen to, etc.
  • Things you can collect.
  • Things to do alone.
  • Things to do with other people.
  • Things at the beach.
categories of things

Categories of things

List of Categories: Parts of Speech

  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • conjunction
  • determiner
  • interjection
  • nouns
  • preposition
  • pronoun
  • verbs

Category FAQs

There are a number of common questions that people have about categories. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

What are categories?

Categories are groupings or classifications that help organize and make sense of information or objects based on their shared characteristics or attributes.

Why are categories important?

Categories provide a structured framework for understanding and organizing diverse information, making it easier to process, analyze, and retrieve relevant information efficiently.

How are categories created?

Categories can be created based on various criteria, such as shared characteristics, purpose, function, or relationship. They are often established through a process of classification and grouping.

Can categories overlap?

Yes, categories can overlap when an item or concept falls into multiple categories simultaneously. Overlapping categories acknowledge the presence of shared characteristics among different groups.

Are categories fixed or can they change over time?

Categories are not fixed and can change over time. As our understanding and knowledge evolve, categories may be revised, expanded, or redefined to accommodate new information or insights.

Categories List: Join the Conversation

Did we miss anything? Please leave a comment and let us know. We’ll add it to the list.

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 60 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults. She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at:
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Best-selling author and English teacher Jackie Bolen has been talking ESL activities and games since 2015. The goal is to bring you the best ideas, lesson plans, and activity recommendations for your TEFL classes.

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